Voices in #MedEd
Procedural Teaching: Easy as 1-2-3
The overhead light is punishingly hot, and my senior resident is sweating as he struggles through a central line placement. It is clear he has no idea where his needle tip is on the ultrasound screen, and I am silently cursing myself for assuming that at this...
Evaluating Fellowship Candidates: Our Experience Maximizing the Screening and Interview Process
In the 2018 interview season, our program received 466 applications for our 8 fellowship spots (6 in the match for PCCM, 2 outside of the match for our CCM track). This represents a 25% increase over applications from a year ago (25.2% increase, actually). This...
Composing an Educational Symphony: Interdisciplinary Teaching in the ICU
We know that interdisciplinary rounds are an essential part of high-quality, patient-centered care in the ICU. As intensivists, we value this collaborative, team-based approach. In addition to structured rounding which incorporates all healthcare team member...
Life After Program Director
Maybe you have been a Program Director for 5-10 years now and accomplished many of your initial goals in leading the program or maybe you have just taken on this important position. In either case it is never too early (or late) to think about what lies ahead...
Life as a Chief Fellow
Stephen Doyle, DO, MBA. If I had to describe my day-to-day life as a chief fellow in one word, it would be “scheduling.” I first found out I was elected as a chief fellow during my semi-annual review after returning from my two week honeymoon. I was extremely honored...
Life Hacks: Balancing and Integrating Work and Life
On June 14, 2016, I was on vacation with my wife and kids in Denver. We had taken the bus to the Botanic Gardens and the weather was beautiful. If you have never visited the Denver Botanic Gardens, I highly recommend it. My morning was interrupted by a phone...
4 Tips for Transitioning From a Fellow to a Faculty Clinician Educator
You’ve trained for years; after med school, residency, and fellowship, now you’re ready to launch as a brand-new clinician educator faculty member! This can be a daunting transition, but here are a few tips to guide you on your first year as a faculty member:...
Five Essentials for an Effective Coaching Program
In a prior blog post, we distinguished coaches from mentors and noted how coaching has been a strategy to improve and refine learner performance across a range of disciplines. But why is medicine so late to the game in using coaches when they’ve been used so...
A Call for More Coaches in Medicine
We are all familiar with mentors. They are individuals who support, guide, and shape one’s personal or career growth. The word ‘mentor’ derives from the name of the figure in Homer’s Odyssey who cared for Odysseus’ son in his absence, now meaning an experienced and...
The Educator Portfolio: A Tool for Reflection and Personal Development
What is an educator portfolio? The educator portfolio is not just an expanded version of your curriculum vitae1. It’s a dynamic, evolving document that is designed to capture the scope and quality of your teaching, combined with evidence of effectiveness and...
